Chris Young, Bartolo Colon help Mets thump A’s 10-1

Scott Kazmir took Bartolo Colon’s spot in the A’s rotation last winter after Colon signed with the Mets, and Kazmir has filled the free-agent veteran role extremely well: He entered the day Tuesday with the American League’s best ERA and lowest WHIP.

Oakland Athletics v New York Mets

Chris Young celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the second inning against the Oakland Athletics at Citi Field on June 24. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Colon and the Mets got the better of Kazmir, though, on Tuesday night at Citi Field. Facing the team that drafted him in the first round in 2002 and then traded him to Tampa Bay, Kazmir allowed a season-high seven runs and three homers in just three innings. The Mets thumped Oakland 10-1, just the second time this season the A’s have allowed an opponent double-digit runs.

“It’s almost shocking to see him give up some runs,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “He just got some balls up and they didn’t miss ‘em. The wind was blowing out to left and they got some balls in the air and took advantage of it.”

Kazmir had allowed only four runs, total, in his previous four starts in June. On Tuesday, he gave up eight hits, matching his season high, and one walk – and he entered the game allowing less than one baserunner per inning. It was the most runs he had allowed since giving up 13 on July 10, 2010, with the Angels.

“To me, he just struggled with his command a little bit tonight, but obviously I don’t think it’s anything to worry about,” catcher Stephen Vogt said. “It’s just a little blip on the radar screen and he’ll be back where he’s been all year.”

Kazmir said he was frustrated, because he felt as if he’d had a good plan against the Mets and wasn’t able to execute it.

“I just wasn’t able to throw my pitches where I wanted to, at all,” he said. “Any changeup was belt high or even higher, and they put good swings on it. They didn’t miss any of those pitches up in the zone.”

Kazmir said typically when he leaves his changeup up, it’s a sign of being gassed. He said that busting his tail on a groundout to end the second inning did not tire him at all, though, and he felt as if his mechanics were fine.

Another former A’s player, Chris Young, did some of the damage for New York. Young, who never adjusted well in Oakland’s fourth-outfielder role last year, homered off Kazmir in the second inning and off Jim Johnson in the fifth, both solo shots. It was Young’s first multi-homer game since April 24, 2013, with Oakland vs. Boston.

“I know he struggled last year and I know he’s struggled a little bit this year, but he’s still a good hitter,” Vogt said. “I think he was probably pretty focused for this series and I think he really wants to do well in these two games.”

Young, who never complained about a part-time role with Oakland last year, said he actually feels no ill will toward the A’s at all. “Not at all, for some reason I don’t get that feeling with Oakland at all,” he said. “I have nothing but love for everyone over there, they were great teammates. It’s fun to compete against them.”

Young said that the Mets were just able to make Kazmir throw strikes and get into good hitters counts. “We made him come across the plate,” he said.

Curtis Granderson belted a two-run homer off Kazmir in the second inning, starting New York’s scoring, and catcher Travis d’Arnaud, just back from Triple-A Las Vegas, hit a three-run shot in the third inning. Granderson added an RBI groundout that inning.

Colon kept the A’s largely off-balance, despite their familiarity with him. He allowed four hits and one run in eight innings, walking one and striking out eight. Brandon Moss singled with two outs in the first and Yoenis Cespedes – back at the scene of his Home Run Derby triumph last year – doubled him home.

And that was it for the A’s, who didn’t get another man past first base the rest of the way. Colon has won each of his past six decisions and hasn’t given up more than two runs in any of his past seven starts.

“What he did tonight was what he did for us all last year and the year before,” Vogt said. “He’s so frustrating to play. Especially as someone who’s caught him and knows him really well, he threw me three sliders in one at-bat and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him throw three offspeed pitches to any hitter on the planet. That’s just what he does. When you think you’ve got him figured out, he’s going to throw something you have no idea he’s going to throw.

“It was a frustrating night for us, but he can do that to teams, why wouldn’t he do it to us?”

Colon, 41, went 28-15 with a 2.99 ERA in his two seasons with Oakland. Kazmir, 30, is 9-3 with a 2.66 ERA and is a strong All-Star candidate.

Josh Reddick returned from the disabled list after missing three weeks with a hyperextended knee and he went 0 for 2 with a walk. After facing his former teammate, Colon, Reddick said, “It wasn’t fun, as the scoreboard shows. We’re used to seeing him throw 90 percent fastballs, and then he threw mostly sliders and changeups and caught us off guard. He’s very good. At that point, you just tip your cap.”

With Kazmir lasting just three innings, Johnson went two and Jeff Francis three. Francis had to hit with two outs in the ninth and struck out to end the game – the second game in a row in which a pitcher has made the final out for the A’s, extremely unusual – but Craig Gentry was unavailable after getting a cortisone shot for knee soreness on Sunday and Melvin decided against using catcher Derek Norris in a blowout.